


Splinter

by bmlhillenkeene



Series: TMNT AU [1]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-07-26 21:12:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7590526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bmlhillenkeene/pseuds/bmlhillenkeene
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before they were a family, there was Splinter, and there was food.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Splinter

Splinter watched the four strange creatures rolling about in the oozing liquid that was not water. They were younglings, not even a week old he could tell, still in that stage of life where they would scramble about. They were quick, but there was nowhere for them to go in the tunnel that he would not be able to catch them.

He blocked off the only exit to the area, ensuring his food would not escape him, and set about to clean the liquid from his fur. The taste made set his teeth on edge, but shaking himself, and rolling in the trickle of water that flowed down the centre of the tunnel had not dislodged it, so he was forced to remove it this way.

He used his teeth to pull the congealing ooze from his fur, licked at it where it had hardened until he could tug it free. It took time, and more than once he was forced to abandon his task to bound towards one of the little creatures and frighten it back to the group, teeth barred and growling. After the fourth time he corralled them into a rusted can and set it upright so they could not escape. Though there was one little creature that had somehow scaled the side and was tottering on the top, black head extending from it's shell, showing off a strange yellow marking on both side of it's head, like a large spike. 

Splinter pushed the creature back into the can and finished cleaning himself off. When he was finally done he peered into the can, snorting when he saw Large Spike trying to climb up the side again, the puff of air made it topple back once more. It was only then that he noticed that the inside of the can glowed, and he could see the dark shapes of the creatures easily. he reached in, withdrawing his claws when one of the creatures bit him, shaking the pained limb and banging the creature attached off the side of the can until it let go.

He sat back to consider what he should do about them, that they were food was clear enough, strange food, but a mouthful at least (once he figured out how to break the shells correctly), but he had had his fill of that ooze for the day and he could see they were covered in it.

Looking round him he saw a piece of cloth sticking up from the mud, a memory came to him, of the female human who had fed him, cleaning things with such a thing. He bounded over to tug the cloth free and returned to the can. Large Spike was once again climbing from the can, so Splinter allowed it, him, his nose told him, to reach the top and he plucked him off and rubbed him vigorously with the cloth.

Large Spike wriggled and released a ugly smell. Splinter stopped rubbing the cloth and his nose wrinkled. The small creature emerged from under the cloth, the ooze still clinging to it. Splinter waited until the smell had dissipated before he scooped the creature up again and dropped it back into the can. He considered once more and a second memory assailed him.

The female who fed him had soaked dirty objects in water before scrubbing them. Similar perhaps to how he had licked at the ooze to loosen it. It took him some time to find another, smaller can, to scoop some of the water from the tunnel into before pouring it into the larger can, until the water covered the four creatures completely. He covered the can with the cloth to stop Large Spike from escaping again and curled up beside the can to wait.

He would feast later.


End file.
